Traversing the Center: The Politics of Language Use in a Catholic Religious Education Program for Immigrant Mexican Children

• Published in: Anthropology & education quarterly Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 212 - 232
• Main Author: Baquedano-López, Patricia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2004; American Anthropological Association; University of California Press
• Subjects: Catechisms; Catholic education; Catholic Schools; Catholicism; Children; Classroom Communication; Curriculum subjects: programmes and methods; Education; Education policy; Educational Anthropology; Educational Attainment; Educational Change; Educational Policy; Educational Practices; Educational programs; Educational sciences; English Instruction; English only movement; Ethnography; Hispanic Americans; Hispanics; Immigrants; Immigration; Language; Language Maintenance; Language of Instruction; Language use; Linguistic anthropology; Mexican immigration; Mexicans; Modern language; North America; Parishes; Pastors; Pedagogy; Policy Analysis; Policy, reform, legislation; Politics; Politics of Education; Program Implementation; Program Termination; Religious Education; Spanish language; Spanish Speaking; Teaching methods; U.S. Latinos; New York; Los Angeles California; California; United States > US; Foreign Language; Immersion Programme; American; Immigrant; Spanish; Educational Policy; Child
• ISSN: 0161-7761; 1548-1492
• DOI: 10.1525/aeq.2004.35.2.212

This article examines the implementation of educational policy in a religious education program at a Los Angeles Catholic parish. It charts the elimination of Spanish-based classes (doctrina) for Mexican immigrant children in favor of "English-only" instruction. The article offers insights into the politics of language use in everyday practice and examines the resulting educational policy decisions.